The Gallon Jug Day

The stars are in alignment for us. Let us tell you about one of our "luckiest" days yet we have titled "The Gallon Jug Day." First, I'll give you a little background information on Gallon Jug, Belize (from the information that I have). The area that Gallon Jug is in is owned by Mr. Bowen, THE corporate business owner of Belize-- he owns Cocacola, Belikin Beer, Crystal water, Ford, and some other large businesses in Belize. He bought the land to preserve it and share it with tourists and also to do some experimental farming. So, an eco-lodge was built upon some Mayan ruins out here (Chan Chich) and a number of farming projects were tried or are currently in progress (corn, cacao, sugarcane, oranges, bananas, coffee, cattle, amongst others I believe). Some of the crops have been profitable, but some not so much simply because of transportation costs to export the crops out of the area. The lodge is also a premier spot for birding and attracts tourists from around the world. The communities of Gallon Jug and Sylvester Village were created as people moved out here to work on the farm and in the lodge. Currently, there are about 200 people living in this area.

To begin our lucky day, we woke up leisurely from our campspot in the Rio Bravo Conservation area and hit the road to make it to Gallon Jug by 2pm for the jaguar presentation. Shortly after we started riding we discovered that the flat road the gate watchman told us about was actually a loose gravel road with rolling hills. A slightly challenging ride at times, but the experience wasn't so bad as we were surrounded by dense forest and heard howler monkeys and lots of big things falling or scurrying away as we passed (unfortunately we couldn't see most of them as the foliage was too thick). We made it to the second gate where we would be passing onto Mr. Bowen's land and passed through without any trouble from the watchman. There we saw the British army camped out for a few months of training and the road became much less loose and more flat. However, the excitement that we felt over more solid ground was short-lived as it began to rain and the road became somewhat muddy (thus, so did we). We made it to the Gallon Jug school just in time for the presentation soaked, muddy, and a little tired. Two grad students from Virginia Tech were working with Program for Belize on tracking jaguars and other big cats in the area. They showed us some pictures of jaguars and pumas they had taken with "camera traps", a couple of which were taken a week prior exactly where we camped the night before. Timing is everything and thankfully we have had good timing on this trip so far. After the presentation, we were trying to decide whether we should move on in the rain or camp out in Gallon Jug for night when Mike, the schoolteacher we had met the day prior in Blue Creek Village invited us to stay at his house for the night. A night out of the rain and in a bed? My muscles instantly relaxed and heartrate decreased just knowing that I wouldn't have to get back in the cold rain and camp in an unknown wet spot tonight. So, of course, we decided to stay. As we chatted with Mike, his wife Jill, and another local, Jackie, we began to think about what we'd make for dinner. Would it be peanut butter, granola, and cold instant oatmeal again? Didn't sound so appetizing. Then, just before parting, Jackie offered to buy us drinks and dinner at the lodge. Our mouths were salivating before we could even respond. Someone was surely looking out for us. We got ready for our evening at the lodge by taking our first warm shower in two weeks and warming up our pallates with some fresh homemade pizza made by Jill. First pizza since leaving the states nonetheless, AMAZING. We gussied up as well as we could and slipped back on our ever-so-elegant river sandals for friday night at the Chan Chich Lodge. At the lodge we met most of the Americans living in Gallon Jug (approx. 10 or so), all who ended up here for various random reasons and all were extremely kind and welcoming. We dined on filet mignon, tomatoes with mozzarella, amongst other scrumptious goodies, and savored delicious Chilean wine to accompany our meal. We were in absolute HEAVEN and thinking about how thankful we were that we weren't eating peanut butter again. Then, our favorite course, dessert. Thoughts ran through our heads, would it be cheesecake, pie, chocolate cake, or more appropriatly flan? The waitress strolled over and very calmly said, "We only have peanut butter ice cream for dessert tonight. Is that okay?" We all looked at each other with big smiles and chuckled while the waitress stood waiting for a response unaware of our close relationship with peanut butter. We of course said that peanut butter ice cream would be fine and enjoyed every spoonful when it arrived. To end the night, we had the best 9 hours of sleep we've had in a long time (thanks to the cozy bed, and maybe the beer and wine).

So, for this amazing day of luxury and relaxation. THANK YOU to the Gallon Jug Community. Mike, Jill, Jackie, Zander, Amanda, Ben, Natalie, Jason, Carolyn, and Bruce-- your company and hospitality will never be forgotten.